Monday, March 20, 2017

The Evergreen Courant's Sports Flashback for March 20, 2017

EIGHT YEARS AGO

MARCH 26, 2009

Sparta Academy’s varsity
girls basketball team, which captured the AISA Class A state girls basketball
title in February, received a key to the City of Evergreen during a special
ceremony Friday morning at the school. Pictured from left at the ceremony on
Friday are city councilmen Luther Upton and John Skinner, Mayor Larry Fluker,
Sparta head basketball coach Russ Brown and players Erica Palmer, BreAnna Pate,
Morgan Harden, Mallory Kendrick, Rebekah Coleman, Madelyn Black, Savannah
Brown, Assistant Coach Joey Rodgers, Jordan Smith and Emily Booker. Take part
in the ceremony, but not pictured, were city councilwomen Diane Skipper and
Vivian Fountain.

The postseason honors
continued to roll in for Sparta Academy senior BreAnna Pate who was named
Sunday to the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s all-state girls basketball
team.

Pate, a 5-foot-8 guard who
was named two weeks ago as one of the 21 finalists for this year’s ASWA Girls
Player of the Year Award, was named as a member of the first team AISA girls
all-state team.

Pate was one of three seniors
on Sparta’s varsity girls basketball team this season and helped lead the way
as the Lady Warriors captured the AISA’s Class A state championship on Feb. 19.

Hines named GRAC Player of
the Year: Former Hillcrest High School basketball star Chris Hines was named
last week as the Great Rivers Athletic Conference Player of the Year.

Hines, a 6-foot-8, 220-pound
forward, earned the honor as well as the Region 24 Player of the Year Award
after leading the Southwestern Illinois College Blue Storm to a 31-2 record and
the Region 24 tournament championship.

The Blue Storm advanced to
the National Junior College Athletic Association’s Division I Men’s Basketball
Tournament, where they were eliminated last Thursday in a 74-40 loss to Shelton
State Community College in Hutchinson, Kan.

Sparta Academy’s varsity
softball team improved to 4-2 on the season Friday afternoon thanks to a 9-8
win over Region 2 rival, Jackson Academy, in Jackson.

BreAnna Pate got the pitching
win. She pitched the first two innings, only to leave the game due to an eye
injury. She returned to the mound in the seventh inning and closed the game. In
all, she struck out three batters and allowed four earned runs in three innings
of work.

(Other players on Sparta’s
softball team that year included Kelly Goneke and Sarah Smith. Mike Sims was
head coach.)

33 YEARS AGO

MARCH 22, 1984

Eddie Salter of Evergreen won
the state crown in the Alabama State Turkey Calling Contest held in Jackson on
Tues., March 13. Shown with him are: Contest Emcee Joe C. McCorquodale Jr.,
second place winner Hannis Williams of Bay Minette, a former state champion;
Danny Baggett of Evergreen, third place winner; and Tom Henley, president of
the sponsoring Clarke County Wildlife Association.

Jeff Fountain, 14, of Jackson
took first place in the Junior Division of the Alabama State Turkey Calling
Contest held in Jackson on Tues., March 13. Eddie Davis, 14, of Prattville was
second and Jerry Cotton, 10, of Evergreen placed third.

“Amity Joe,” owned and shown
by Kathy Salter of Evergreen, is the Alabama Horseman’s Association Grand
Champion for 1983 in Color Pleasure and Halter Stallions and Gelding and fourth
in the state for Ladies Western Pleasure.

Little Leaguers will register
players: The Evergreen Little League will be registering players for the 1984
season tonight at 6 p.m. at City Hall. In order to properly register, a parent
must accompany the child along with a $10 registration fee and certified birth
certificate. T-Ball ages six and seven for boys and six, seven and eight for
girls. Minor leagues ages eight and nine, and Little League ages 10, 11 and 12.

This will be the last chance
to sign up. Tryout date will be March 31. Time will be announced later.

Women’s Softball meeting
Tuesday: There will be a meeting of the Evergreen Women’s Softball League
Tues., March 27, at 7 p.m. at the Courthouse. All managers must bring their
league dues and team colors. All interested women are urged to attend.

Cancer Softball Tournament is
set: There will be a softball tournament to be held March 30-31 at the
Evergreen Municipal Park. Evergreen entries will be limited to the first 16
teams to enter. Entries must be called in no later than Wed., March 28.

Trophies will be given to the
first, second, third and fourth place teams. Also, the first place team will
have their entrance fee refunded. The entrance fee will be $70 per team. Hit
your own ball and no red dot balls will be allowed.

There will be certified
umpires to officiate the games.

The concession stand will be
open and there will be plenty to eat and drink, so bring the family out and
enjoy a day in the park. Any team interested may register by calling Doris
Gorum. All proceeds will go to the American Cancer Society.

60 YEARS AGO

MARCH 28, 1957

Evergreen Golf Club will hold
its 12th annual One Day Invitational Golf Tournament at the
beautiful Evergreen Country Club on Thurs., April 11. The tournament will start
promptly at 8 a.m.

The Championship and First
Flights will be determined by nine holes of match play by the 16 lowest posted
scores. There will be a prize for the medalist and trophies will be given to
the winners, runner-ups and consolationists.

Approximately 100 golfers
from over the state and northern Florida are expected to match pars on the
beautiful, tree-lined Evergreen course. The layout of the Evergreen course is
considered one of the prettiest and best in this section of the state and club
officials say that it will be in excellent condition for the tourney.

Jimmy Ryan, outstanding and
popular golfer from Greenville, is the defending champ and medalist and is
expected to be on hand for the defense of his crown this year. Ryan defeated
James McMurphy of Atmore for the title last year.

A number of other outstanding
golfers from over the state will be on hand for the tourney as well as a number
of local par busters.

China Wins Tourney: China
Junior High School won first place in the county’s annual Basketball Tournament
March 15-16 at the Conecuh County Training School. The China Wildcats conquered
the Conecuh County Training School Eagles by a score of 27-26, which gave them
first place, and CCTS came in for second place winners.

This game brought shouts of
thrills from hundreds of fans who attended this event.

The parents, faculty and
student body are proud of these high sports athletes for being the winners of
the coveted crown.